Church Working Toward Temple in France

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On Saturday, July 15, 2011, President Thomas S. Monson announced that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hopes to build its first temple in France just outside of Paris.

New temples are usually announced by the President of the Church at general conference, after local government building approvals and property acquisition have been secured. Although the local government approval process for the France temple is still under way, French newspapers have been reporting that the Church plans to build at Le Chesnay, near Versailles. These reports prompted the official announcement.

A report in the French newspaper Le Parisien on July 12, 2011, stated that the mayor of Le Chesnay, Philippe Brillault, had held an informational meeting for residents of the surrounding neighborhood. He explained that the proposal to build a temple in that area was the strongest and most profitable project suggested since the property had been placed on the market.

He announced that, according to his understanding, there were plans for patron housing and an underground parking facility, and he mentioned the beautiful gardens that would “best of all, be open to the public.”

Church spokesman Scott Trotter said that the Church has been working for many months with local officials, and that more details will be given later.

There have been several previous attempts to find a suitable site for a temple in France. There are approximately 36,000 members of the Church in France, and those wishing to visit a temple usually travel to neighboring European countries.